Spring.



110.824,318. 'I y -PATBNTBDJUNE 26,1906.

A'PP'LIoA'rIon Hmm 926.12. 1905.

fir-9.1.

T omas Th'ar' NU11 TED sTAirias .PArENT OFFICE.

THOMAS THORP, OF WHITEFIELD, ENGLAND.

SPRING.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, THOMAS THORP, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland,

close and a resident of Whitefield, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Springs, of which the following is a speciiication.

The compression or tension of the springs hitherto used for loading valves, diaphragms, or other purposes is increased when the article acted on by the spring is moved in a direction contrary to that in which the spring acts and decreased when it is moved in the same direction. For instance, if a helical sprin in compression is used to hold a valve close by its direct pressure this pressure on the valve is increased when the valve lifts. ln the same way when a valve is loaded by means of a lever the tension of the spring is increased by the lifting of the valve, orf* when the bell of a gas-antipulsator is supported by a spring the pull of the spring is decreased when the bell rises.

`The present invention consists in the construction or arrangement of a spring which acts in the contrary way-that is to say, the

pressure of which on a valve or other article decreases when the article acted on is moved in the opposite direction to that in which the acts-for instance, if a valve held by said sprin lifts and increases when the article acte on is moved in the same direction-for instance, when a gas-bell suspended by this spring rises. This novel action of a spring is obtalned by holding the ends of a spring-blade or of several such at sprin the ends by suitable vfixed abutments or their equivalents, the distance between which is less than the straight le h of said blade or blades between its or thelr ends and deiiecting it at the center to a curvature between the curvatures of the maximum pressures exerted by the spring contrary to and in the direction in which it is deiiected.

On the drawings appended hereunto, Figure 1 shows the improved spring diagrammaticallyin several stages of deflection; and

Fig 2, a da am of the corresponding pressures exerte by it. v

A flat straight spring-blade placed between xed or stationary abutments', thedistance of which is less than the length of the springblade, will assume a curved form 1, varying according to the difference in the length of the spring-blade and the distance of the abutments. A difference which causes the cam- Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 12,1905. Serial No. 291.500.

Patented June 26, 1906.

ber of the spring to be about one-third of the distance between the abutments has been found suitable for practical urposes. If thisv spring is deflected by a load) at the center, it will assume a corrugated form and exert a pressure in a contrary direction or upward in the case of the arrangement diagrammatically represented by Fig. 1, `which pressure increases with the deiiection til-l it has assumed the curvature 2, when the upward pressure is at its maximum, as shown by the experimentally-obtained diagram, Fi 2, the abscissae of which represent the eiiections of the center of the spring, while the ordinates represent the corresponding pressures in the upward direction on thev left of the axis a; :1; and in the downward direction on the right ofthe same. On being further-deiiected the upward pressure ofthe sprng'decreases, and when it has attained .the curvature 3 it is in a neutral state, in which its entire elasticity is absorbed in internal strains and no upward or downward pressure is exerted by i't. When still further deliected, 'the lspring exerts a downward pressure, which arrives at its maximum when the spring has assumed the curvature 4 and then decreases'again. ,Beyond the curvature 4, however, the spring has a tendency to jump over to a concave curvature, andthe equilibrium between the two sides of the same becomes unstable, so that it cannot be practically used.

Preferably a straight blade is used; but moderately curved convex or- Vcorrugated springs maybe used, more particularly when t e `curvatures beyond the neutral curvatures are not intended to be employed. If a spring of this kind, depressed to a curvature between the curvatures 2 and 3, such as 6, is made use of to exert an upward pressure against an article or surface subject to' a downward pressure and the latter increases above the spring-pressure, the` spring will yield and its pressure on the article or surface will decrease at the same time, contrary to the action of helical sprinws or curved bladesp s not held between xed abutments or held etween fixed abutments but only depressed to a curvature between the curvatures 1 and 2. In the same way a s ring of this kind depressed to a curvature 5 iietween the curvatures 3 and 4 will exert a downward pressure which decreases as the center of the spring is pushed upward to the position 3. However, it will generally be found preferable to reverse the spring in such cases,

IOC

IIO

bending it concave, in the first instance, and pressing it u ward as the change in the pressure exerted y the curvatures between 3 and 4 takes place more rapidly than that exerted by the curvatures between 2 and 3. I have found by experiment that near to the neutral position the variations of the pressure exerted by this spring are very nearly propower in cams, and for analogous purposes.

angles of the shoulders.

In order fully to explain'the application and action of the s ring, some examples of their application Wi now be described.

On Figs. 3 and 4 the application of a spring of this kind to an inverted dischargevalve is shown as an example. The valvecasin a is formed with two horns b, which are s otted in the middle and have angular shoulders b', and the spring-blade c has tongues c at each end which enter into the recesses, while the rounded ends c2 of the blade at the side of the tongues rest in the The spring-blade is bent down till it assumes the curvature v6,

i (shown on Fi 1,) and connected to the stem of the valve which it holds upon itsseat- 1n 'e against the fluid-pressure above. When this exceeds the pressure exerted by the spring upon thevalve, the latter will open and move downward, while at the same time thev ressure of the spring upon it is reduced, so t at a large free lift of thevalve is obtained. If the same arrangement of s ring is used partly to support a gas-holder be suspended from it, its upward pressure will be increased when the ellv rises, and the increase in the weight caused by the rise of the y bell out ofthe seating liquid can thus be compensated and an equal gas-pressure obtained or all positions of the bell.

Fig. 5 indicates the use of a spring of this kind bent to the curvature 5 of Fig. 1 for holding a valve down. For the reasons stated above, however, it is generally' preferable to employ for this purpose a spring of the curvature 6, Fig. 1, reversed, as indicated on Fig. 6.

The spring may consist of a single blade or of several' such blades placed on the top of each other, as shown on Fig. 6, or blades crossing each other at equal angles and connected to each other at the center may be used. The blades may be of uniform width or they may be wider at the middle than at the ends or narrower at the middle than at the ends, as may be most suitable for the purpose for which the sfpring is to be used, It may of course lbe ormed with ends bent over to form eyes, as shown on Fi 5, and fixed to the abutments by pins passe through them and the eyes.

1. The combination with two fixed abutments of a spring-blade the distance between the ends of which is greater than that between the abutments and which isconfined by said abutments and means for connecting the object to be acted on by the spring to the center thereof whereby said spring will be deiected to a curvature lying between the curvature of maximum pressure and the neutral curvature substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with two fixed abutments of a flat spring-blade of greater length than the distance between said abutments which is confined by said abutments so as to assume a convex shape and means for connecting the object to be acted Von bythe spring to the Jenter thereof whereby said springwill be deiiected at its center and assume a corrugated curvature lying between the curvatures of maximum pressure 1n either direction substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with. two xed abutments of a spring-blade the ends of which are farther a art than/ said abutments and are coniined y them, which blade is deflected at its center until it has assumed a corrugated curvature lying between the curvatures of maximum pressure in either direction, and an object to be acted upon by said springrod said article being connected to the center of the spring.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS THORP. Witnesses:

CARL BoLL, RIDLEY G. URQUHART.

IOO

TOS 

